There are eleven multi-car teams with sizes ranging from two to four cars in the NASCAR Cup Series, but which driver from each can claim to be the best? In some organizations, there was a clear leader on the track, but there’s others where it was a far more difficult call.
Motorsport.com considered race wins, average finish, head-to-head weekly battles, the final championship result, and other X factors in choosing which driver was the best within each team:
Hendrick Motorsports — Kyle Larson
Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Photo by: James Gilbert / Getty Images
Championship result: Larson (1st) beats Byron (8th), Elliott (12th), and Bowman (26th)
Head-to-head: Larson (17) beats Elliott (9), Byron (7), Bowman (3)
Race wins: Larson (3) beats Elliott (2), Byron (0), Bowman (0)
Top 5s: Larson (15) beats Byron & Elliott (8), Bowman (4)
Top 10s: Larson (21) beats Byron (18), Byron (16), Bowman (8)
Average finish: Larson (14.5) beats Elliott (15.1), Byron (15.2), Bowman (20.0)
EXPLANATION: Strangely, Larson was not the leader at HMS for a good portion of the year. Elliott was the only Hendrick driver to visit Victory Lane before the Chase began, but in the final ten races, the No. 5. team was simply unstoppable. Larson dominated his teammates and the rest of his championship challengers, surging to his third Cup Series title in the last six seasons of competition. He also ended the year leading all five of the above categories.
Joe Gibbs Racing — Denny Hamlin
Three-wide battle for the win between Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota; Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota; Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Photo by: Sean Gardner / Getty Images
Championship result: Bell (3rd) beats Hamlin (3rd), Briscoe (6th), Gibbs (9th)
Head-to-head: Hamlin (13) beats Bell (10), Briscoe (7), Gibbs (6)
Race wins: Hamlin (4) beats Briscoe (3), Gibbs (2), Bell (1)
Top 5s: Hamlin & Bell (16) beats Bell & Gibbs (13)
Top 10s: Hamlin (25) beats Bell & Gibbs (20), Briscoe (18),
Average finish: Hamlin (8.9) beats Gibbs (12.6), Bell (13.4), Briscoe (15.1)
EXPLANATION: Hamlin lost the runner-up spot in the championship to Bell by just seven points, but beyond that, he was the clear leader for JGR. His average finish was the best of the entire field, and Hamlin led nearly important category. He was also one of just three drivers to lead the standings this year besides Reddick and Larson. However, Bell’s season also featured a ridiculous eight runner-up finishes with only one race win, and had he captured a few more checkered flags, we could be having a different conversation right now.
Team Penske — Ryan Blaney
Penske teammates Ryan Blaney (left), Austin Cindric (middle), and Joey Logano (right)
Photo by: Will Lester Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Championship result: Blaney (4th) beats Logano (7th) and Cindric (10th)
Head-to-head: Blaney (19) beats Logano (10) and Cindric (7)
Race wins: Blaney (4) beats Logano (3) and and Cindric (0)
Top 5s: Blaney (12) beats Logano (7) and Cindric (4)
Top 10s: Blaney (23) beats Logano (15) and Cindric (10)
Average finish: Blaney (12.8) beats Logano (15.9) and Cindric (16.5)
EXPLANATION: Logano was impressive and Cindric had one of his strongest seasons yet, but Blaney remains the top driver at Team Penske, beating his two teammates in over half of the races. He led the team in top fives, top tens, race wins, average finish, and jumped ahead of Logano in the standings by winning the season finale.
Trackhouse Racing — Shane van Gisbergen
Shane van Gisbergen and Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing
Photo by: Sean Gardner / Getty Images
Championship result: Van Gisbergen (17) beats Chastain (18th) and Zilisch (33rd)
Head-to-head: Chastain (18) beats Van Gisbergen (16) and Zilisch (2)
Race wins: Van Gisbergen (2) beats Chastain (0) and Zilisch (0)
Top 5s: Van Gisbergen (6) beats Chastain (3) and Zilisch (0)
Top 10s: Van Gisbergen (10) beats Chastain (8) and Zilisch (2)
Average finish: Chastain (18.7) beats Van Gisbergen (18.9) and Zilisch (26.4)
EXPLANATION: Trackhouse struggled mightily this year, and none of their drivers made the Chase. While SVG’s numbers are boosted by road/street courses where he added two more wins to his resume, he began to excel on the oval tracks as well. Chastain still eclipsed him in the head-to-head category, but SVG scored just as many oval top fives and oval top tens as Chastain, giving SVG the edge in 2026. He also narrowly defeated Chastain in the final standings by 22 points. As for Zilisch, he wasn’t even in the conversation after a brutal rookie season for the talented young driver.
23XI Racing — Tyler Reddick
Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing, Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing
Photo by: Chris Graythen – Getty Images
Championship result: Reddick (5th) beats Wallace (11th), Herbst (30th) and part-time Heim (N/A)
Head-to-head: Reddick (21) beats Wallace (13), part-time Heim (2), Herbst (0)
Race wins: Reddick (6) beats part-time Heim (2), Wallace and Herbst (0)
Top 5s: Reddick (15) beats Wallace (5), Heim (3), and Herbst (0)
Top 10s: Reddick (21) beats Wallace (17), part-time Heim (4), Herbst (3)
Average finish: Reddick (12.2) beats Wallace (15.7), part-time Heim (16.9), Herbst (23.9)
EXPLANATION: We normally don’t include part-time drivers, but we simply cannot ignore Corey Heim after winning two races in a part-time open entry. But despite how impressive that was, nothing can compare to the 2026 season of Tyler Reddick and the No. 45 team. He made history by winning the first three races of the season (including the Daytona 500), led the entire field with six wins, and ended the year fifth in the standings after leading the championship for the first third of the year. He was also the top-finishing 23XI driver in 21 of 36 races, despite having two to three teammates every weekend.
RFK Racing — Ryan Preece
Ryan Preece, RFK Racing, Chris Buescher, RFK Racing, Brad Keselowski, RFK Racing
Photo by: Jonathan Bachman – Getty Images
Championship result: Preece (15th) and Buescher (16th) and Keselowski (19th)
Head-to-head: Preece and Buescher (14) beats Keselowski (8)
Race wins: Preece (1) beats Buescher and Keselowski (0)
Top 5s: Buescher & Keselowski (2) beats Preece (1)
Top 10s: Buescher (11) beats Preece equal (10), Keselowski (6)
Average finish: Buescher (16.6) beats Preece (16.7) and Keselowski (19.3)
EXPLANATION: Once again, the RFK teammates were very close this year, but the No. 60 of Preece showed a big step up in performance. He was the only RFK driver to reach Victory Lane, and narrowly beat Buescher in the final standings to lead the entire organization. Beyond that, Preece and Buescher were very close in top fives, top tens, and just 0.1 apart in average finish. Buescher and Preece were even tied in the head-to-head category! But that big win in Daytona pushes Preece over the edge, giving him the advantage for 2026.
Spire Motorsports — Carson Hocevar
Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet; Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
Photo by: Sean Gardner / Getty Images
Championship result: Suarez (13th) beats Hocevar (14th) and McDowell (20th)
Head-to-head: Hocevar (15) beats Suarez (14) and McDowell (7)
Race wins: Hocevar & Suarez (1) beats McDowell (0)
Top 5s: Hocevar (6) beats Suarez (3) and McDowell (3)
Top 10s: Hocevar (12) beats Suarez (9) and McDowell (8)
Average finish: Suarez (15.2) beats Hocevar (15.9) and McDowell (19.1)
EXPLANATION: Spire was fascinating to watch this year, and the entire organization improved overall. Suarez was a real surprise, getting cut loose from Trackhouse and then beating all of his former teammates while winning the Coca-Cola 600 in an emotional crown jewel victory. He also edged ahead of Hocevar in the final standings after his teammate was suspended for the finale, but overall, Hocevar was the face of Spire on and off the track. He had double the top fives of Suarez and McDowell, but his aggression and inconsistency kept the numbers much closer. A big difference is just how much time Hocevar spent near the front, leading 198 laps compared to Suarez’s 42 and McDowell’s 24. He also scored two pole positions for Spire during a chaotic 2026 season for the No. 77 team.
Front Row Motorsports — Todd Gilliland
Front Row Motorsports teammates Zane Smith, Noah Gragson, and Todd Gilliland
Photo by: Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Championship result: Gilliland (21st) beats Smith (27th) and Gragson (31st)
Head-to-head: Gilliland (17) beats Smith (13) and Gragson (6)
Race wins: Gilliland/Smith/Gragson equal (0)
Top 5s: Smith (2) beats Gilliland & Gragson (0)
Top 10s: Smith (6) beats Gilliland & Gragson (3)
Average finish: Gilliland (20.5) beats Smith (21.8) and Gragson (23.6)
EXPLANATION: This was a tougher one, and if Smith had just been a bit more consistent, he could have easily been the clear leader at FRM for 2026. He was certainly the flashier driver on track as the only member of the team to get a top five finish, which he did twice, also leading 77 laps while his two teammates combined to lead just 29. But overall, Gilliland was just the more solid driver, placing seven positions higher in the standings, scoring 70 more points than Smith.
Richard Childress Racing — Kyle Busch, regardless of stats
Richard Childress Racing teammates Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon, and Austin Hill
Photo by: David Jensen / Getty Images
Championship result: ADillon (24th) beats RCR 8/33 (32nd in owner’s)
Head-to-head: ADillon (24) beats RCR 8/33 (12)
Race wins: ADillon and RCR 8/33 equal (0)
Top 5s: ADillon and RCR 8/33 equal (0)
Top 10s: ADillon (6) beats RCR 8/33 equal (2)
Average finish: ADillon (20.9) beats RCR 8/33 (25.8)
EXPLANATION: Purely based on statistics, the winner here is Austin Dillon, but as we do with each of these teams, we take other factors into consideration when relevant, and this is a very unique situation. Kyle Busch was the face of Richard Childress Racing. He earned the team’s lone pole position of the year in the season-opening Daytona 500, and was working tirelessly to elevate the team before his tragic passing. He even called a meeting where assured the team he was in it for the long haul and was about to sign an extension with RCR. In his final points race, Busch was two corners away from what would have been RCR’s lone top five of the entire season when he ran out of fuel, fading to eighth. RCR has since struggled forward without KB, and it’s been a tough transition for Austin Hill behind the wheel of the renumbered No. 33, and again shows just how hard Busch was pushing those cars when he was behind the wheel.
Legacy Motor Club — Erik Jones
(2025 picture) Erik Jones; Legacy Motor Club Toyota; John Hunter Nemechek, Legacy Motor Club Toyota
Photo by: Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Championship result: Jones (23rd) beats Nemechek (29th)
Head-to-head: Jones (23) beats Nemechek (13)
Race wins: Jones/Nemechek equal (0)
Top 5s: Jones (2) beats Nemechek (5)
Top 10s: Jones (1) beats Nemechek (2)
Average finish: Jones (20.7) beats Nemechek (23.6)
EXPLANATION: Jones beat or was equal to Nemechek in every category, who is leaving the team after the 2026 season. Jones placed six positions higher in the final standings, and beat him head-to-head 23-13 over the course of the season. It was an easy call between the Legacy Motor Club duo.
Kaulig Racing — A.J. Allmendinger
AJ Allmendinger, No. 16; Ty Dillon, No. 10
Photo by: Getty Images
Championship result: Allmendinger (25th) beats TDillon (34th)
Head-to-head: Allmendinger (26) beats TDillon (10)
Race wins: Allmendinger/TDillon equal (0)
Top 5s: Allmendinger (1) beats TDillon (0)
Top 10s: Allmendinger (4) beats TDillon (0)
Average finish: Allmendinger (21.8) beats TDillon (26.1)
EXPLANATION: Another easy one, as Allmendinger once again carried Kaulig Racing. The veteran driver beat his teammate in 26 of 36 races, while also being the only Kaulig driver to score finishes inside the top five and top ten. He scored over 200 points more than Dillon, placing nine positions higher in the standings. This same pairing will return in 2027 as Kaulig becomes the anchor team for Dodge as they return to the Cup Series.
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
– The Motorsport.com Team
